First Look: Nissan Urge Concept

Primal Urge: Say hello to the Playstation Generation. And say hello to their sports car

Yes, but what do the people think?Perception and reality collide on a California fall evening on the Third Street Promenade. Months before the Urge is scheduled to make its public debut under the bright lights of Detroit's Cobo Hall, it's parked in the heart of Santa Monica's bustling shopping precinct, drawing crowds of curious onlookers. There's no hype, no hustle, no branding--just the car. And a couple of jeans-clad Nissan employees armed with clipboards and engaging smiles.

This is a first for Nissan. Normally, concept-car clinics are closed-door, invitation-only affairs, the target audience carefully defined, and the Q&A download carefully structured. Here, the Urge must earn its street cred--on the street. A risk? Sure. The camera phones are everywhere, and sometimes the unfiltered feedback isn't what you want your bosses to hear. This evening is just another step along the long and tortuous journey every concept car must take on the road to the showroom.We might live in one of the most motorized societies on the planet, but stuff we think is obvious isn't always so to John Q. Public. More than a few onlookers spy the electrical cord used to power the interior lighting and assume the Urge is an electric car. Others look at the clear yellow plastic covering on the doors and decide the Urge wouldn't offer much protection in a side impact.

With the Nissan badges covered up, there's plenty of speculation about who makes the Urge. "It's a Volvo," says one guy authoritatively to his buddy. "I've seen it on TV." Another 30-something swears it's a new Pontiac. Only one person, a woman in her 20s, nails it: "It looks like a Nissan at the front," she says to her male companions, gesturing at the grille, which is indeed a riff on the company's European corporate face. Then she utters the words the Nissan staffers want to hear: "I love it."Gas mileage is a hot topic. The Nissan staffers run the line that this is a fast performance car, and immediately most people start wondering about the mileage. Because they can't give any detail on the powertrain, they can't counter the negatives. Memo Nissan: If you build this with a high-performance four-cylinder engine under the hood, make sure your advertising gets the gas-mileage message across loud and clear. Americans don't equate fast with economical.Finally, there's the price. More than a few people guessed a sticker in the $80K area, bringing wry smiles to the faces of the Nissan folks. When asked who she saw driving the car, one young woman replied, "Lots of rappers. NBA stars." One guy in his late 20s decided to play hardball, saying he'd pay "as little as possible." Okay, how much? "I wouldn't pay more than $30,000 for it."Should Nissan build the Urge?The people of the Third Street Promenade have spoken. Over to you, Mr. Ghosn.